Coin-controlled electric-fan attachment



Jig-nella, 1925. v1,540,511

. O. L. SAMS COIN CONTHOLLED ELECTRICTAN ATTACHMENT Filed July` 29. 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jgne 2, 1925. v 1,540,571

' o. L.y SAMS i COIN CONTRCLLED ELECTRIC FAN ATTACHMENT Filed July 29. 1920 2 Sheetg-Sheet 2 Patented June 2, 1925.

UNITED STATESA PATENTv OFFICE.

GRA L. sAivrs, orLos ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

C01N-CONIROLLE'D ELECTRIC-FAN ATTACHMENT.

replication mea July as, 1920. semi No. 399,681.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that ORA L. SAMS, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and4 State `of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Coin-Gon trolled Electric-Fan Attachments, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the invention is to provide means for controlling the operation of a fan,

particularly of the electric type to the endI that by dropping a coin of the yproper denomination in a chutev provided for that purpose an operation of the fan for a limited time will ensue whereupon the original or stop condition of the mechanism will be restored or the current discontinued until another coin is inserted to close theV circuit or release the mechanism for further operation, and furthermore to provide in this connection means whereby a plurality of coins of the proper' denomination may be deposited in succession or series in the chute to be successively advanced into proper position to maintain the circuit and the fan in operation for a multiple of the time or period prescribed for .operation under the influence of a single coin; and with these objects in view the invention consists in the construction and combination of parts of which a preferred embodiment is shown in the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side view of a fan equipped with Va coin Acontrolled mechanism embodying the invention.

- Figure. 2 is a plan view of the coin controlled mechanism, the casing or housing of the samebeing omitted.

Figure 3 is a rear view showing ing or casing partly broken away.

Figure 4L is a side view `of the same.

.Figure 5 is a detail view in perspective of the trip and resisting mechanism.

The apparatus is designed for use in connection with a fan 10` of any ordinary or the houscommercial form `ortype, the housing `or casing 11 which encloses the coin controlled mechanism being attached to the rear of the fan casing and including the front and rear discs or plates 12 and 13 connected by suit- 1 able Abrace rods 141. drive shaft 15 is mounted in suitable bearings in said discs or plates and is provided at its front end with a coupling for engagement with the arbor of the fan motor indicated at 16 in Figure 4',

, said coupling in the construction illustrated consisting of threaded stem 17, and this drive shaftis connected by` speed reducing gearing with la driven shaft 18, the speed reducing gearing in the construction illustrated consisting of a worm 19 on the drive shaft meshing with a wormV gear20 on an intermediate .shaft 21, a worm22 on the intermediate shaft meshing with a worm gear 23. on a second intermediate shaft24, and a worm 25 .on said second intermediate shaft meshing withl a worm gear 2ov on t-herdriven shaft. It will be understood that any de-l .ment is used in connection with a fan ofthe electric type consists of a circuit closer indicated generally at 27 and including the contact 28 and a switch-29 lpivotally mounted at30`and yieldingly actuated by a spring 31 to impel it to a circuit closing 'ory operative position. -KV v In connection with the clutch mechanism there is employed a tripy lever 32 having a catch 33 for engagement with the free endk of a locking `lever 34 pivoted at 35- and con-A nected by a link 36 with the switch lever 29 to the end that when the switch lever is moving in a circuit opening direction'motion is communicated from the link 36to the lockingflever 34 to arrange the free end of the latter in the path of engagementby the catch 33 of the tripV lever. The trip lever is yieldinglyactuatedby a spring 37 adapted when the trip lever is released to move the latter, which is pivoted at'BS-in -the direction necessary `to `,engage the locking lever, and vsaid tripflever is provided with a coin seat 39 for contact with `the edge of a coin indicated in dotted lines at l0 to the end that said trip lever by'rthepressure of a coin is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow'in Figure 3 to withdraw the catch 33 from engagementl with the locking .lever .34 to permit the switchl lever =29 to closethefcircuit and thuspermit the vfan to be operated. At the opposite side of the coin chute 41 there is arranged a coin'check and supporting device 42 consisting of a rocking lever pivoted at 43 andhaving an ear 44 to support thefopposite edge of the coin from that which bears upon' the seat 39, said rocking lever being yieldingly held in its coin engaging position by aspring 44" and being adapted toward the end of a period of movement of the driven shaft 18to be actuated by a pin 45onsaid driven shaft to releasel the coinavhich `has been holding the trip lever 32 repressed and permit it to drop into engagement With an ear 46. Ob-

" viously as soon as the pin 45 vreleases said checking lever it is yreti'irned to its .normal osition bythe slpring'44 land the coin 'is dropped out of the chute and the Vtrip :lever is released. Should there be another coin, however, behind thecoin which was serving to hold the trip lever repressed, due the fact thattW-o or more coins have been deposited in the chute,the detention of the first coinlbyV the ear 46 will serve t0. check the. downward movement ofthe second coin, so that when the lever- 42 is released to drop the first coin, the second coin 'will be retained in trip repressing positionto insure the further operation of the mechanism for a second periodot' time 'representedby said second coin.v l p Carried by the driven shaftifor example bythe Worm gear 26 is a c a'm in cooperative relation with Whichfyisa pin 4,8

carried by a release lever 49 having al rock-v ing and sliding movement through a slot 5() thereof engaged with a pivotpin 51 and provided with. an actuating Spring; 52. Said, cani is. provided with a Seet- 01: notch 53 designed for the reception of the pin 48A when the cam of which the motion isobviously controlled by 'the drive-n shaft makes one complete revolution"and which complete revolution is made'inthe prescribed period of time for which the mechanism isset for operation underthe Control ot one coni- I Said 'release lever isprovided at'ftheopp-o-` site end ltrom theactuating spring 52 with a pin engaged with the slot 55 in a. link which is connected with the switch lever to the end that when the release bar is moved in the direction indcatd by the arrow a in Figure5 and ijn Figurel motion communicated thereby/'through the linlr56 Will raise the switch .lever and open vthe circuit to cause the operation of the fan to cease.

rlhe release lever carries a lateral arm 57 upon the extremity ot which is mounted a. dog 58,'pivoted asia-t 59, and provided with a seat GO disposed normally inthe pat-h of movement ofthe shifting pin 61 carried by and extending radially from the intermediate shaft 21.V Asthis kshalt turns and the shifting pin engages the seator notch'60,'the shiftingy lever 49fis rocked on the pi-n` 51 as ai' pivot with the result thatthe pin 48 is raised out of its seat or notch 53 to traverso. the surface of the cam 47. The dog 58 at a pointV opposite the pivot 59 has a pin and slot connection 62 with the lateral arm 57 and this permits swinging movement of tho dog sulicient to maintain it in operative connection with the pin 61 to enable the raising of the pin 48 out of the notch 53, the continued depression of the arm 57 dueto the action of the pin 61 resulting in the iin-al disengagement of the seatA from the pin and the resumption of the normal position of lthe dogv58with reference to the arm.

Then the fan is inactive the trip lever- 391 is disposed with the catch 33 in obstructing relation with the end of the lockingv lever 84. The insert-ionof vacoin in the chu-te, however, results in thelateral shiftingfot the trip lever in opposition to the spring 37 and the disengagement of the latch 33 from the locking lever 34, when thespring 31 is free to act andmove the sWitch'QQ into engagement with the contact 28, this operation not only'placing the fan motor in circuit with the source of supply but moving the link 56 so that the pin 54 on the' release lever, which pinr is normally disposed inthe bottom of the slot 55, passes tothe top otsaid slot. The rotationof the 'fan motor sets in operationthe shaft 21 and the shaft 18, the formen-because of the nature ot the gearing,`having a higher angle Off velocitythan the latter. The pijn '61 'at this Vtime is brought into engagement 'with the' seat 60 inthe dog 5,8 and the release leveris rocked on the pin 51, as aforesaid, and the pin 48 'released from the seat 53, ythe shaft 18 by this time being in motion and the cam 47 revolving in the direction indicatedlby the arrow in Figure 5,. By the timeI the pin 48, shall have been released from the seat 58, the lateral arm 57 will have been depressed and, carrying with it the dog V58, the lat-ter will be lowered 'to a point whe-re the pinjGl may ride over the upper edge. The pin 48 therefor rests on the vupper edgeot'the cam 47 and traverses said upper edge as the shaft 18 rotates, until iinally'it impacts with the edge of the dog 63 secured on the outer periphery of the cam. 47 adjacent the seat 53. Longitudinal movement is then impart# ed to the release lever 49, the'slot 50 permitting Asuch movement. The pin at tliistin'ie being in theupper end ot' the slot of the link .56,"t'he latter is rocked on its. pivotal connection vvith the switch 29 and moved into, a position in substantialA perpendicularity with the switch, rocking lthe latter on its pivotal connection and releasing ity from the contact 28.v The advancement ofthe release lever 49jchanges its position with respect to 'the pin 51 so that a pivotal or rocking point is provided at another point in the lever. The lateral arm 57 therefore will not'be de- CFI il (l "pressed tothe level to which 'it was originalvtime to raise it free of the dog 63 and toreengage the seat'53. At this instant the pin 54will'be at the `upper end of the slot 55 but on the reengagement of the pin 48 with they seat 53 and the subsequent sliding movement of the cam 4.7 following, the spring 52 will operate to retract the release lever 49 when the pin 51 will be moved to the opposite end of the slot 53 and the pin 54C advanced to the bottom of the slot 55, thus leaving the parts in position to be again actuated by a second slug or coin, the raising of the switch lever 29 being accompanied with a reengagem'ent of the latch 33 with the locking lever 34.

Assuming that the operation of the release lever as above described has taken place, with the result of opening the switch 29 to break the circuit bv which the fan motor is operated, the securing of the locking lever 34 by the catch 33 will occur as the coin is disengaged from the bearing seat 39 but if a second coin is located in the chute in following relation to the coin which has been holding the trip lever in its releasing' position, the repression of the trip lever Will continue under the influence of the second coin, and therefore, as the release lever 49 is drawn back by its spring 52 upon the disengagement of the pin 6l from the seat or notch 60 ot the dog 58, the switch lever will again be free to return `under the influence of its spring 3l to the circuit closing position so that the operation of the fan will continue.

Having described the invention, .what I claim as new and useful is:

l. A coin controlled stop mechanism for motor driven fans having driving and driven shafts connected by speed reducing gearing, a switch lever yieldingly actuated for movement to its closed position, locking means connected with the uswitch lever for holding the latter in its inoperative position comprising a coin actuable trip for releasing the locking means, and mechanism for moving the switch lever to open position comprising a locking lever for said gearing mounted for rocking Vand longitudinal movement and connected to the switch lever, means carried by said locking lever and an element carried by said gearing for imparting switch opening movement to said locking lever, and means for disengaging said locking lever from said gearing.

2. A coin controlled stop mechanism for motor driven fans having driving and driven shafts 'connected by speed reducing gearing, a switch' lever yieldingly connectedv -for movement to its closed position, locking means connected with the switch lever for holding the latterfin inoperative position and comprising a coin actuable trip, a locking lever for 'said gearing mounted for 1'rocking and longitudinal movement and operatively connected vwith theswitch lever' `to move the latter to openposition, a. 'retract'- ing 'spring connected with said locking lever, a cam actuable by the driven shaft for imparting switch opening movement to the locking lever, and a pin and dog carried respectively by said locking lever and said gearing for releasing the locking lever from the cam upon completion of the switch opening movement of said locking lever.

3. A coin controlled stop mechanism for motor driven fans having driving and driven shafts connected by speed reducing gearing, a switch Vlever yieldingly connected for movement to its closed position, locking means connected with the switch lever for holding the latter in inoperative position and comprising a coin actuable trip, a locking lever for said gearing mounted for roclring and longitudinal niovementand operatively connected with the switch lever to move the latter to open position, a retracting spring connected with said locking lever, a cam actuable by the driven shaft for imparting switch opening movement to the locking lever, and provided with a seat and with a dog adjacent to said seat, a pin carried by the locking lever for engagement in said seat and abutting engagement with said dog, and means for releasing said pin from said seat and from engagement with said dog, said means consisting of a dogI and pin respectively carried by the locking lever and said gearing.

et. A coin controlled stop mechanism for motor driven fans having driving anddriven shafts connected by speed reducing gearing, a switch lever yieldingly connected for movement to its closed position, locking means connected with the switch lever for holding the latter in inoperative position and comprising a coin actuable trip, a locking lever for said gearing mounted for rocking and longitudinal movement and operatively connected with the switch lever to move the latter to open position, a retracting spring connected with said locking lever, a cam actuable by the driven shaft for imparting switch opening movement to the locking lever and having a dog for engagementv with the locking lever to impart switch opening movement to the samein opposition to the retracting spring, and tilting means for the locking lever consisting of a pin and dog carried respectively by the locking lever and said gearing.

5.. Ay coin controlled stop mechanism for motor driven fans having drivmg and drlven shafts connected by speed reducing gearing,

ye switch lever `yieldinggly connected lfor movementto its closed position, locking means connected with the switch lever for holding the latter in inoperative position and-Comprising a coin aetuable trip, a` ockingllever for said gearing mounted for rocking and longitudinal `movement` and operatively connected with the switch lever to move the latter to vopen position, a retreating springeonneotedwth said locking lever, means carried by the driven shaftfor imparting longitudinal movement to the locking lever to ei'ect switch opening movement te vthe sameend ooperatin means carried by the locking lever and tie gearing to effect tilting movement of the lever to disengage it fiom seid gegring. ,i

`In testimony whereof he afflxes, his signature. e

RA L. SAMS.v 

